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News about coronavirus in Florida and around the world is constantly emerging. It's hard to stay on top of it all but Health News Florida can help. Our responsibility is to keep you informed, and to help discern what’s important for your family as you make what could be life-saving decisions.

Fast-Spreading COVID-19 Delta Variant Reported In Florida

The image depicts the coronavirus binding to a human cell. The variant identified in the United Kingdom has a mutation known to increase how tightly the virus binds to human cells.
Kateryna Kon
/
Science Photo Library via Getty Images
The image depicts the coronavirus binding to a human cell.

The CDC's tracker shows Florida has at least 72 cases of the variant as of June 15. The variant is considered more likely to cause severe illness in unvaccinated people.

The highly aggressive Delta variant, first detected in India, has surfaced in Florida, just as national leaders warn it could soon become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID tracker shows Florida has at least 72 cases of the variant as of June 15, Cindy Krischer Goodman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Federal health officials have labeled Delta a “variant of concern,” a designation given to strains that show evidence of increased transmissibility or that cause a more severe disease.

The variant, scientifically known as B.1.617.2, is considered more likely to cause severe illness in unvaccinated people — symptoms develop more quickly and viral loads climb faster than in people infected with other variants.

Read more of this article from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel

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